He changed the alignment to fit his personnel, and that has created numerous scoring chances.

Riverview continued its trend of scoring each time it took the pitch this season, posting a 2-0 victory over rival Sarasota High on Wednesday night in a non-district match at the Ram Bowl.

“We knew we were going to have to be — by design — more creative with our personnel,” DeClerico said.

Switching to a 4-4-1-1 from a 4-3-3 a year ago has generated opportunities for John Taylor.

And Taylor knows what to do when he gets the chance.

After having his shot and rebound denied early in the match, Taylor followed up a shot by Carlos Cabrerra in the 28th minute for the only goal the Rams (7-0) needed.

“The goalie was kind of sketchy with it, so I just figured I’d run in. When I ran in I was unmarked,” said Taylor, who scored his seventh goal of the season.

“We’ve got a formation we’ve been working on that suits what we have,” DeClerico said. “We work on tactics a lot. We’re working on increasing the soccer IQ through training.”

Riverview maintained the one-goal advantage until a Taylor cross was knocked down by a handball inside the box.

Matt Combs went to the penalty dot and blasted the penalty kick into the back of the net for a 2-0 lead in the 72nd minute.

Sam Morrison faced a few tough shots before posting the shutout.

The quick start comes as a pleasant surprise to Taylor.

“Honestly, not really. I’m surprised of it,” he said. “Last year we lost a lot of seniors. The younger guys are coming in and working.”

“Last year, we had a great record, but we didn’t finish the season strong,” said DeClerico of the 12-3-3 season that ended with a first-round loss to Clearwater Countryside in the Class 5A-District 8 tournament. “This year, they understand how to be consistent. We’ve grinded a few games out, but we are consistently putting away our opportunities, which is good.”

Sarasota coach Gunnar Barcomb is still looking for that consistency from his Sailors.

After a quick start, Sarasota (4-2-2) was bogged down in the midfield for most of the match.

“This team is streaky. That’s just how it is,” said Barcomb, who has eight seniors. “It’s a matter of effort. They have a lot of ability. It’s just a matter of putting it together.”

Barcomb knew it would be tough playing Riverview at the Ram Bowl.

“They’re a really good side on this field,” he said. “We’re not used to playing on a crowned field. The way it is for football, it is not regulation size for soccer. It’s tough for us. We train on a bigger field. No excuses. They were a better team tonight by far. It’s just a huge disadvantage for us. We just don’t play well on smaller fields.”